Red Star F.C.

Overview

Red Star Football Club (French pronunciation: [ʁɛd staʁ futbol klœb]), commonly referred to as Red Star FC or simply Red Star, is a French professional football club founded in Paris in 1897. The club plays its home matches at the Stade Bauer. They currently compete in Ligue 2, the second tier of French football, having been promoted from the third tier Championnat National at the end of the 2023–24 season. The club is the fourth oldest football club in France after Standard AC of Paris, Le Havre AC and Girondins de Bordeaux. Despite the club's long spell under a semi-pro status, Red Star has a rich history. The club was founded in 1897 under the name Red Star Club Français by French football legend Jules Rimet. Rimet later went on to serve as president of both the French Football Federation and FIFA. The original FIFA World Cup Trophy was named in his honour. Red Star was one of the founding member clubs of Ligue 1 and has spent 19 seasons in the first division; the club's last top tier stint being in 1974–75. In cup competitions, the club has won five Coupe de France titles, which is tied for fifth-best among all French clubs. While the club have enjoyed only modest success on the field, the club is widely recognised for its distinctive social culture. Red Star supporters are strongly identified with their support of left-wing politics, social activism and a party atmosphere they create at the club's matches. The club was purchased by US-based private investment firm 777 Partners in May 2022, a move which saw demonstrations from fans leading to the postponement of a Championnat National match in April 2022.